Systems used to automatically package a product into a container are known in the art. The known systems commonly include a robotic arm and a vision device. The robotic arm has an end effector, such as fingers or a suction device, directly interfacing with the product and used to secure the product to the robotic arm in a fixed orientation. The robotic arm moves the product to the container under the guidance of the vision device.
A known container 10 according to the prior art used in such a packaging system is shown in FIG. 1. The known container 10 has a plurality of side panels 12 and a plurality of top flaps 14 defining a product receiving space 16. Each top flap 14 extends from one side panel 12 to a same height HP in a height direction H.
The known container 10 is commonly sized to closely fit a product in the product receiving space 16, avoiding movement of the product within the known container 10 during transport. However, when the robotic arm moves the product toward the product receiving space 16 in the height direction H, the product frequently contacts a top edge of the top flaps 14 due to the close relative sizes of the product and the product receiving space 16. Contact with the top edge of the top flaps 14 during insertion requires stopping the packaging process and manually correcting the relative orientation of the product and the known container 10, decreasing manufacturing efficiency.
To address the problem of the product contacting the top flaps 14, complex end effectors of robot arms have been developed capable of tilting the held product in addition to moving the product in a fixed horizontal orientation in a three-dimensional coordinate system. The robotic arm moves the product toward the product receiving space 16 in a tilted orientation, lowers the product into the product receiving space 16, then returns the product to the horizontal orientation. These complex end effectors, however, are substantially more expensive than end effectors that are only capable of moving the product in a fixed orientation, requiring additional parts and maintenance costs.